Ballarat's big VB ad wins Cannes gong

A VICTORIA Bitter television commercial filmed in Ballarat last year has been judged among the best in the world.The commercial, which featured 1500 locals, won a Gold Lion award at the International Advertising Festival in Cannes, France, earlier this month.Ballarat’s iconic Lydiard and Sturt streets featured prominently in the commercial after both streets were closed to traffic over a weekend in May.Ballarat’s historic Arch of Victory was also featured.The commercial, including both streetscape and aerial footage, was one of Australia’s largest television advertisements ever to be filmed.About $400,000 was spent locally during filming.Accommodation, catering, buses, venues and other equipment was provided locally throughout the weekend.The commercial was filmed by advertising agency Droga5 for Foster’s Group.Location scout Russell Boyd chose Ballarat as the base for filming having worked on the film Ned Kelly in andaround Ballarat in 2002.He worked with the City of Ballarat’s film liaison unit to secure the locations around town.The City of Ballarat is a member of the Film Ballarat Hepburn and Beyond cluster.